1940s Famous People

For those of you who missed it, the Oscar's were last Sunday. The once a year chance for those in Hollywood to be recognized for their work in the film industry and for the rest of us to see those amazing dresses walking down the red carpet. My cousin holds an annual Oscar party where you have to dress to the nines to attend. Her pictures from the evening were fantastic!

All the buzz had me thinking about the Oscar winners from the 1940s. Who won, what were the films about, where there any repeats?  My curiosity was bubbling over.  I went in search of three categories for each year: best film, best actor, and best actress. (See a full list of awards at Classic Movies)

1940
Picture            Rebecca
Actor              James Stewart – The Philadelphia Story
Actress           Ginger Rogers – Kitty Foyle

1941

Picture            How Green was my Valley
Actor              Gary Cooper – Sergeant York
Actress           Joan Fontaine – Suspicion

1942

Picture            Mrs. Miniver
Actor              James Cagney – Yankee Doodle Dandy
Actress           Greer Garson – Mrs. Miniver

1943

Picture            Casablanca
Actor              Paul Lukas – Watch on the Rhine
Actress           Jennifer Jones – The Song of Bernadette

1944

Picture            Going my Way
Actor              Bing Crosby –Going my Way
Actress           Ingrid Bergman – Gaslight

1945

Picture            The Lost Weekend
Actor              Ray Milland -  The Lost Weekend
Actress           Joan Crawford – Mildred Pierce

1946

Picture            The Best Years of Our Lives
Actor              Fredric March – The Best Years of Our Lives
Actress           Olivia de Havilland – To Each His Own

1947

Picture            Gentleman’sAgreement
Actor              Ronald Colman – A Double Life
Actress           Loretta Young – The Farmer’s Daughter

1948

Picture            Hamlet
Actor              Laurence Olivier – Hamlet
Actress           Jane Wyman – Johnny Belinda

1949

Picture            All the King’s Men
Actor              Broderick Crawford – All the King’s Men
Actress           Olivia de Havilland– The Heiress


Only one repeat winner in 10 years!  Olivia de Havilland started the decade on the 1939 hit Gone with the Wind and left with 2 Oscars for best actress.  Wow!

Many of these movies I have not seen, but there is one on the list that was a favorite of mine as a child, Yankee Doodle Dandy.  I watched this movie over, and over again.  I knew every line, and every song, and I am pretty sure I wore the tape out.  Until this evening I did not know that James Cagney had won the Oscar for it, and I am sure it was not only for his tap dancing down the steps of the White House in the end of the film. 

Seeing as everyone is in the 1940 US Census, who will you look up?  I think I may look up a few of the actors listed above to see what they were doing before they won their golden statuette. 

*Images from wikimedia:  Academy award vinto da maximilian schell come miglior attore protagonista, 1961

Actors Gary Cooper and Joan de Havilland holding their Oscars at Academy Awards after party, 1942

screenshot of James Cagney from the trailer for the film Yankee Doodle Dandy

1940 Culture

Growing up I always had a romantic and dreamy fascination with the hairstyles of the 1940s.  There were the curls, the flips, the victory rolls, the peekaboo bangs, and the other perfect coifs of that by-gone era.  I dreamed about having my hair like that, but alas, whenever I tried it would never cooperate quite right.  Sounds pretty funny coming from a girl who was born in the 70s huh?

Having straight as a poke baby fine hair never helped with these styling dilemma. I always wanted to have that long sexy wavy hair with the peekaboo bangs, a-la Veronica Lake.  Yeah, I know, she was a movie star and they have professionals doing their hair!  A girl can dream though.

My grandmothers were pro’s at the pin curl styles though.  On more than one occasion I sat dutifully while they rolled, twisted, and pinned my hair into place so that I would have those perfect curls.  Unfortunately, 10 minutes after they were unwound all the curls fell out and my hair was flat, but at least the picture was taken before that happened!

In honor of the 1940 US Census, I think I will be trying a few of these out.  I will post the best ones... as long as I don't break the camera that is.  If you, or someone you know, would like to be nostalgic with me, here are some how to websites to get you started.

Hot 1940s Hairstyles
1940s.org
wikiHow: How to Create an American 1940's Hairstyle


*Images:  Studio portrait photo of Veronica Lake taken for promotional use, circa 1952 (original upload date: 1 September 2010(2010-09-01)) wikimedia
Cropped screenshot of Rita Hayworth from the trailer for the film Blood and Sand, 1941 wikimedia

The 1940 Census is coming, are you ready?

I have talked about how excited I am about the release of the 1940 US Census in the past week.  Well, on that note I am happy to tell you that I am participating in the 1940 Blog Ambassador Program, through the 1940 US Census Community Project.  This project is sponsored by Archives.com, FamilySearch, and findmypast.com.  As well as the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the Federation of of Genealogical Societies (FGS), and the National Genealogical Society (NGS).

This is an opportunity for all of us passionate about the quick indexing of the 1940 US Census to get out there and help.  Go check it out, and if you can think about signing up to help with the indexing. 

Check back here often as I talk about all things 1940's, the release of the 1940 US Census, and anything else that comes along.  This should be fun!

The Blue Family from Kentucky, part 2

On a family email list I am on, a distant cousin posted a follow up to the story I talked about yesterday.  It is published in the Daily Mail Online Edition "Meet Ben Stacy, the living descendant of the BLUE men of Appalachia - who was born discolored too but grew out of it" by By Mark Duell and Micaela Mclucas. It has a nice close to the story where they talk about the living descendant's.

The Blue Family from Kentucky

I stumbled over an article today that really, really fascinated me.  It was from Good Morning America, ABC News:  "Fugates of Kentucky: Skin Bluer than Lake Louise" by Susan Donaldson James.  If you are at all interested in genetics, go read it.  If you are interested in genealogy, go read it and skim over the technical stuff.  It had me enthralled.

About 1820 a man named Martin Fugate immigrated to Troublesome Creek, Kentucky from France.  He was blue.  Yes, I said blue.  The gene spread through the small community and the occurrence of blue people did too.  What had me do a double take was this sentence:

"The Fugates married other Fugate cousins and families who lived nearby, with names like Combs, Smith, Ritchie and Stacy."

Whoa... I have Combs blood in me.  Plus we came through Kentucky from North Carolina. Hmmmm, do I have any distant cousins in that area?

*Image: ynse via photopin cc

Week 8 of Abundant Genealogy

Week 8 – Genealogy Libraries: Genealogy libraries (and dedicated departments in regular libraries) are true treasures in the family history community. Tell us about your favorite genealogy library. What or who makes it special?

I will be honest; I have not made it to any physical genealogy library yet.  I do visit the one around the corner and a larger one further in town 4-5 times a month.  However, both have very small collections for genealogy purposes. Mainly I go there to get away from the house and feel like I am "working" when I need a change of scenery.  I thought I would tell you about a couple libraries, within driving distance, which I really want to go and see.

Headquarters for the Central Rappahannock Regional Library:  This is located in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia.  They have a collection of over 200,000 publications, many of which are non-circulating.  I have been told, by more than one person, that I need to go and visit the Virginia Reading Room.  From what I understand that is quite a collection of genealogical resources there that I would find quite useful in researching my Virginia ancestors.

Library of Virginia: Located in Richmond, Virginia and also around the corner from the Virginia Genealogical Society.  This has the mother lode of Virginia records to say the least: maps, books, letters, records, and so much more.  I am hoping to get down there to do some research on colonial era ancestors who were land owners in Goochland, Virginia.

Library of Congress: Have to go… and I am not sure I really need to explain why do I?  In fact, I am hoping to go there in a couple weeks while my mother-in-law is in town visiting.  Cross your fingers, I have a list a mile long of books I want to see from their genealogy reading room.

*Image: Lalena Jaramillo via photopin cc

1940 census Website

I am catching up on a weeks worth of reading over my tea this morning.  This is what happens when you are have repairs done to your house that force you to live out of your bedroom for a week.  To say I am a bit behind is an understatement. 

Starting with the newest posts on my Google Reader, I saw an announcement from NARA about the upcoming website for the 1940 census.  They are getting us ready for the release by having daily lectures and announcements about it too.  Make sure to check out the NARA site frequently over the next month!

If you haven't seen the video from Family Search "I'm in it" you can see it here.  This makes me very excited, as this will be the first census my father is in.  I have to wait 20 more years for a census that contains my mother, and another 20 for a census that contains my husband and me.  History is catching up to the living quickly.

*Image: Auntie P via photopin cc

Free Give Away from Family Tree University

I thought I would bring to your attention a sweepstakes by Family Tree University.  They are giving away one free registration to their 2012 Virtual Conference.  You can read more about it at the Genealogy Insider Blog by Diane Haddad.  It is as easy as pie to fill out the form and submit your name.

The other reason I am super thrilled about this conference is for one main reason: I am at home.   As a stay at home mom, this is a conference I can attend without having to worry about lining up and paying for childcare for multiple days, or trying to get my husband to take time off and then making the whole family trudge after me somewhere. Which, I have done both before, and it was an interesting experience.

In a nutshell you get:

• 15 half-hour video classes covering genealogy tech, research, and ethnic tracks
• Unlimited viewing during the conference and the ability to download for future views.
• Live chats and message board discussions with FTU staff and instructors.
• Of course, I am a sucker for the stuff, you get a “swag bag” of freebies from ShopFamilyTree.com

So you all know, as the Family Tree First Blogger I have free registration to the conference.  If I wasn't the blogger, I would have already registered, because I know this is going to be good.  What are you waiting for?

New post at Family Tree Firsts

My next post on FTF is up.  I hope you enjoy the read.  Living on a Civil War Battlefield puts researching your family from that time into a whole new light.  During the course I read all about troop movements for units that my ancestor were assigned to.  Which of those campaigns they were actually there for I don't know, but I got an odd sensation to read there was a possibility they fought within a mile of my house.

I talk about Button Cody in this post, he was mentioned in the last post too.  He is of the "famous" Cody line that Buffalo Bill is also descended from.  When I found him on the 1890 Veterans Schedule I could not believe what I read about his physical condition.  I now have to find out if those injuries were due to the war.

The photo for this post was sent to my by my long lost distant cousin Debby.  She has been such a help when I got started last year.  We still correspond whenever we find something new to share.  I just love the cousins I have found and the connections I have made!

Week 7 of Abundant Genealogy

 

Week 7 – Historical Documents: Which historical document in your possession are you happy to have? How did you acquire this item? What does it reveal about your ancestors?

A few months after I announced to the family I was looking into its history and genealogy I received a large manila envelope in the mail.  My mother-in-law had sent me everything she had on paper from her mother.  Hand written notes and letters that she photocopied so I would have my own copies for research.  These letters were a goldmine of information for me in piecing together something’s about her family.  I have added to the five initial ones I received, as her cousin has sent me scanned in copies of ones that she has and I scanned more letters during my last visit.

Family lore vs. actual truth can be a funny thing.  She knew all about the rumors, myths, and whispers of scandal in the family, but had no idea about the concrete proof.  When I sat down to read the letters I put them in order, oldest to newest, and began to read.  The first two were grandmothers writing to their granddaughter, whom they had last seen when she was a small child.  After that a brother writes, and an uncle writes telling stories about family roots.  Each one was a wonderful peek into life in Maine at the turn of the 20^th century.

 

Each also had crumbs of information I gathered to give me clues about where to look next for the family line.  I learned the names of aunts, uncles, and siblings, family lore and family tragedy.  The most poignant of which came from one of the grandmothers written 20 February 1897 “I do not think that I have written correct sentence and do not dare look this over for fear that I shall find so many misspelled words that I shall put it into the fire.  But I know you will have charity for your grandmother when I tell you my Father died when I was a little girl, in Havana Cuba leaving my mother with four little girls and we did not have many school privileges.  But the dear lord has blessed with good children and nice grandchildren.”
 

This one line gave me an opening I could never have dreamed in cracking Eliza Cunningham Greeley’s line.

*Image: ....Tim via photopin cc

Still here and chugging along!

Have you ever felt like you are being pulled in too many different directions?  Well that is my life right now.  Not only am I doing family history research but I am active in my youngest child's preschool, active in a history group, write an article every two weeks for our community paper dealing with children, write the Family Tree Firsts Blog, plus all the mom stuff on top of that.  To say I sometimes have to multi-task to get things done is an understatement.

Like when I sit in my car waiting to pick up kids, I read articles on my iPad (when I am not playing Carcassonne on the iPad that is).  At doctor appointments I have been doing most of my writing.  Squeezing in opportunities to get the little things done in my life has become more creative.  Yesterday I found myself making a to-do list very long purely to see how much I could get done in "spare" moments.  You can call me a weirdo, its alright.

I hope to have some great finds for you shortly, as well as some more biographical sketches of families and individuals.  The reorganization of my files is almost done; I am at the point where I am searching through the computer for the picture images my software no longer says it has.  They have to be on the computer somewhere!

*Image: anselm23 via photopin cc

Papers of the War Department 1784-1800

Thanks to a friend, I was introduced to this amazing website: Papers of the War Department.  It is an ongoing project by the Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. Funding for the project comes from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In a nutshell, this project is trying to reconstruct files and papers that were lost when the War Office burned on 8 November 1800.  The files from 1784-1800 were lost that night, but copies of these documents were filed elsewhere and are now being brought together for the first time in this open online digital archive.  You can read more about the project here.

Here is the project history from the website:

"The project to reconstitute the War Department Papers was begun by Ted Crackel more than a dozen years ago, and it has involved years of painstaking work, including visits to more than 200 repositories and the consulting of more than 3,000 collections in the United States, Canada, England, France, and Scotland. In 2004, however, work on the project was essentially suspended when Crackel became the editor of the George Washington Papers. But in early 2006, the project was transferred to the Center for History & New Media at George Mason University, which is working to realize Crackel’s original vision. Indeed, perhaps uniquely among U.S. institutions, Mason combines the scholarly, technical, and institutional qualities (including substantial staff with credentials in military history, the history of the early republic, historical editing, and especially digital history) necessary to complete the project in a professional and timely manner."

Best part, you can help!  The project is looking for people to help transcribe these documents. This is a fantastic opportunity for historians as well as anyone who has family ties to the early  operation and founding of the United States.  If you want to sign up to be a transcription assistant you can do so here. 

Go out to the site and type in socks in the search box.  Or heck, blankets even.  What you get will astound you.  They have papers not only of military significance, but the quartermaster reports as well.  The War Department was responsible not only for military matters but many social welfare programs as well.

On a family note, I did find a paper that I would like to read (and seeing as it has not been transcribed yet... may do that too) as it deals with an area my Armstrong family settled in before coming further west to Indiana.  It is on the TuscarawasValley in Ohio, and you can read about it here.

I would love to know what you find too!

*Image from the Library of Congress: Washington's entry into New York: on the evacuation of the city by the British, Nov. 25th. 1783  and A scene on the beautiful Tuscarawas River

Week 6 of Abundant Genealogy

Week 6 – Family Heirlooms: For which family heirloom are you most thankful?  How did you acquire this treasure and what does it mean to you and your family?

I racked my brain on this one.  Trying to go through my head all the different antiques and such that are in my parents’ home, and which one I would choose.  There are trinkets and do-dad’s from all over Europe, when my mother was there as a child and then an Army Officer herself.  Items left to my parents from when their parents died.  No matter how much I thought about it, my mind kept returning to one item. 

Anyone who knows me long at all will have heard me talk about it, because as a kid it was the coolest piece of history that I was allowed to see and touch.  As an adult I treasure it for the story it tells, and the comfort it gave.  One of the first family posts I wrote was about my Grandfather Arvin.  In that post I wrote of a dictionary, and that book is our family’s most treasured heirloom. 

Recently I talked to my mom more in depth about this book, and found out that it is actually a one volume encyclopedia.  I knew the basics of the story but I pressed my mom for more details on it.  Sometime after he was captured by the Japanese he acquired this book.  If they couldn’t carry it they couldn’t take it from camp to camp, and my grandfather carried this book to at least 3 different ones.  Inside it is a caricature that was drawn of him by another POW.  It shows him carrying the book, strapped to his back, marching up a large hill to the last camp they were imprisoned in. 

Most amazing of all are the 6 rows of signatures, 30-40 in each row, of the men he was with in camp.  My mom has seen several of the names listed there in documentaries, and many have written books about their experience.  Several of the names listed were also labeled MIA by the military, and until she showed the book to a military historian they had no idea what had happened to these men.  At least now there is a bit more known about where they were seen at one point in the war.  It is fragile, the signatures are fading, and my mom keeps it safe and out of the light to preserve it.  She would love to know more about it, about who these men were, how my grandfather came to possess it, and so much more.

As a child I would hear my grandmother talk about it, and she would point to it on the top shelf of her closet.  It was always a happy story; I truly didn’t understand what it meant to be a POW.  She would talk about how they would solve disputes in camp over facts with it, play word games, and in general how it was a tool to pass the time in dire circumstances.  Now I look on it as an item that got my grandfather home, and I wish even more than ever that I could have met this remarkable man.




*Image:  newspaper clipping from The Wayne Dispatch, 1944.  The photo of my grandfather was the one the Japanese took of him to send to the US as confirmation/identification of his capture. 

New post at Family Tree Firsts

My next post is up over at Family Tree Firsts.  I have to admit, my husband had told me the story of how there was a possible connection between their family and Buffalo Bill Cody since we met.  No one was sure how exactly, but it was a family legend none the less.  Thanks to the published genealogies from the Cody society, I know how they are possibly connected now.

Harry Coad / Henry Thompson has been an enigma ever since I found him.  One those nagging puzzles that you just can't stop thinking about.  It has become almost an obsession to be able to figure out who he is.  I have been desperately trying to piece together his life before the Civil War.

Several family trees over an Ancestry have listed George and Sarah Thompson as his parents.  Unfortunately I have not been able to get any of them to write me back about why they think this.  All I know about him (mostly from census and death records) is the following:

Harry M Coad
Born:  31 Aug 1840 Springfield, Illinois (one census lists Virginia)
Died:  15 June 1920 Grand Pass, Missouri
Married: Nancy Ann Cody, 12 May 1867 in Kansas

I did find a Henry C Thompson on the 1850 Census in Oquawka, Illinois with parents GW and Sarah Thompson.  They were born in Virginia and Kentucky respectively.  When I discovered the 1890 Veterans Census, I secretly hoped I would learn more.  Below is what I got:

Harry M Coad
Miami Township, Marshall, Saline, Missouri.
Private

So the quest to discover him continues...

*Image by liberalmind1012

Last Chance Special FTU Conference

I just got a reminder email that this week is the last chance to register for the early bird price for the Family Tree University Virtual Conference.  Right now it is $50 off through February 13th, and you get a free gift for early registration.  Free stuff and SAVINGS what is there not to be excited about!  

The last time they did this I was unable to participate due to real life circumstances that needed my full attention.  I saw the classes later (no I didn't want to look before and get sad) and crossed my fingers that they would do another one.  I was beyond excited when I heard they were.

Only bad part... no name badges that you can stick all sorts of ribbons onto. Yes I can be a big geek at times, but I like bling.  Oh... I guess I could make my own to wear around the house.  Wow, that cold medicine is really kicking in now.

Just remember: you won't be alone, I am registered for it already.  Can't wait to see how many of you will be participating too. See you online at the conference!

*Image: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com via photopin cc

Family history sharing idea

For the last several months my boys have been asking me more and more questions about my childhood.  Those questions have now evolved into asking questions about their grandparents childhoods.  I can answer some of those questions, as they have been told to me at one time or another, but not all of them.  This has lead me to think about ways to extract these stories from my parents and in-laws.  Now how to do it in a creative, non-threatening way, and get the kids involved too?

I am going to make a fill in book for them.

The boys have some very specific questions they are interested in knowing, and I have some things  I would like answered too.  The question is:  do I give them a nice already bound book with a letter, or do I create a book for them with the questions bound inside?  I am hoping to have these put together by the end of the month.

Why the end of the month?  This is my non-traditional version of the Family History Writing Challenge for the month of February.  I don't have enough information / research on our families to write a good narative (in my oppinion) so I looked to creative ways to write something and get my feet wet in the process.  The people who are writing full chapters for books have left me in awe.

Today is day 6 of the challenge.  I have written the introduction, the Title page, and started the list of questions.  In addition to this, I am answering the questions the boys have given me too.  This way there will be a book about me as well.  Next step is to get my husband involved (hi honey!) as that is only fair.

*Image: aepoc via photopin cc

Week 5 of abundant genealogy

Week 5 – Life Experiences: Sometimes the challenges in life provide the best learning experiences. Can you find an example of this in your own family tree? Which brick wall ancestor are you most thankful for, and how did that person shape your family history experience?

This has been a real tough one, and I wasn’t too sure how to address it.  What type of experience, which ancestor, who to pick… so many questions!  I think the life experience I am most grateful for is learning how to research from my mother.  Still thinking about the brick wall ancestor; this may be a 2 part post.

I remember writing research papers for high school English class.  We had 2 large research papers (freshman and junior years) to teach us “proper” ways to write and research for a paper.  When I went to college, I wanted to go back to my high school and let them know that the way they taught us to do this was completely out of date and not at all helpful for college.  However, I am too polite to do any such thing! 

We were taught, and had to do this to get full credit, the old card based organization system.  I don’t know how many of you have ever done, or seen, this archaic practice.  Essentially, for each fact you find about your topic you make a card with that fact on it, and at the bottom you write the source title.  Also, for each source you use, a card is created as well.  After you have done all your research, you take the cards and sort them into sub-topics.  From there you create paragraphs from these “sentences” and then string these paragraphs together.  The bibliography is written by alphabetizing your source cards.  For my research paper my junior year (I cannot even remember the topic) I had 400 cards.  Yes… 400 cards to sort through.

For all the other papers I wrote, in high school and later college, I did it the way my mother taught me and I am so grateful for her!  My mom started medical school when I was 8.  Before that she was an undergrad and in grad school.  Yes, my childhood was spent in classrooms and libraries during vacation days following my mother around when my dad couldn’t watch me. This is probably why I like books, libraries, and school.  The older I got, the more useful I became as well.  For instance, I remember when she realized I was tall enough to use the photocopier!

My mom’s version of research involved said photocopier, scrap paper, a highlighter, and a colored pen.  We would take up residence at a table and she would pull the books for her topic.  Not just the ones listed in the card catalogue, but ones listed in the bibliographies as well.  Never underestimate the sources for your source!  When she found information pertaining to her subject she would mark the pages with scrap paper and put it in the “to be copied stack.”  At the copier each book title page was copied, and then each section/page she wanted.  At the table, or back home, she would highlight the information she needed and with the colored pen make any notes in the margin to help organize her thoughts.  Viola!  No note cards!!

She also taught me endnotes, footnotes, and Chicago style bibliography system.  How to paraphrase, quote, and cite sources correctly.  To say that this was a big life skill may seem odd; however, I am not a normal person.  While I may have trouble with skills like cooking, cleaning, and balancing my checkbook, I don’t have a problem researching, distinguishing primary / secondary / tertiary sources, or feeling completely at home in a library. 

Image: Christopher Chan via photopin cc

RootsTech Live!

I made it home in time this morning to see the Keynote speaker streamed live from RootsTech.  Only draw back... the competing 5 year old, but it was still a very interesting presentation on the future of the genealogical community, and I enjoyed it.  There are several bloggers out there who have already uploaded their impressions (from the front row even!) and I encourage you to go out and read their impressions.   

Remember that there will be live presentations (anything from room 155) from now to the end of the conference.  Just go check out the schedule. Or read Olive Tree Genealogy Blog by Lorine McGinnis Schulze, as she has the times broke out for the live stream. 

Not everything is about genealogy, there is a lot of tech talk to.  After all it is RootsTECH, so there are quite a few sessions dedicated to developers.  Don't fear the changing technology, embrace it!  Now, I am off to go practice this more.

There was a brief moment this morning, looking over the presenters list, that I had a crazy thought. Possibly I could get my husband (the IT person) to go with me next year.  Maybe he would get a kick out of the tech presentations.

The Conclusion - Part 4 is up!

The final post in the series about Berthena Cannon is up over at Family Tree Firsts.  I just had to end it with a humorous story... couldn't resist sharing the laugh!

To be honest, I think my mother-in-law thought we might have lost our minds the way we were laughing.  I giggled on-and-off for the next few days.  Actually, all I have to do is think of her name and it all comes back to me again.  What can I say.  I am easily amused.

Of course, the one problem with submitting a 4 part series all at one time, is that the closing paragraph is now wrong.  I have found out who Edward Darnell Arvin is, talked to the man who wrote the biographical sketch, and I am now pretty certain I am realated to this person.  2 birds... 1 stone.

*Image from the Library of Congress:  Frances Benjamin Johnston's cats, Herman and Vermin, seated on brick railing of New Orleans house, Louisiana

Family History Day in New York

I was reading my weekly email from the NEHGS and saw an announcement for their New York Family History Day 2012.  The announcement reads:

"Ancestry.com and the New England Historic Genealogical Society are pleased to bring you New York Family History Day 2012, a day to discover and celebrate your family history. This exciting event can help you start or hone your genealogical skills with informative classes, expert consultations and more. Our venue, the Westchester Marriott, is located in the heart of New York’s historic Hudson Valley."

For $44 there is a lot in a small amount of time, and it looks like the classes are well rounded and worth the trip.  If anyone gets to go I would love to hear all about it! 

*Image from the Library of Congress:  New York city views, Chrysler Building, Lexington Ave. and 42nd St., New York City. Exterior, from Daily News Building